Have you thought about what it means to make something — your weight loss or any new habit — a lifestyle?
All MYLF programs are designed with a purpose. We don’t just focus on you losing weight. If that was the goal, we could put you in a calorie deficit, cheer you on, and be done with it.
Instead, we approach our programming from the perspective of teaching you how to care for the human body and changing the way you think about this entire process so that this is something you can incorporate long-term.
When you make something a lifestyle, it becomes a fundamental part of your identity. It’s not about doing something because you have to or because you are in a program. It’s about doing something because you want to, embracing change, and making it a permanent part of your life.
Your first step is the starting point of a life-long journey
The way you frame your process can TRANSFORM the way you approach it. If you think of losing weight as an eight-week program where you eat nothing but chicken and broccoli so you hit that goal and FINALLY get back to the good stuff, well, we promise the change won’t last long.
It may sound obvious, but actions have outcomes. When you STOP taking those actions, you STOP having those outcomes.
If you change your eating habits to be healthier, you will STOP having the consequences of eating unhealthy. You will have more energy, better sleep, better health, and yes, you will begin to lose weight. That is also true on the flip side. If you stop eating healthy, you will stop seeing those outcomes as well.
That is why we want you to see this new beginning as the starting line for a life-long JOURNEY where you learn how to integrate healthy habits into every aspect of your life. From what you eat and how you move, to how you manage stress and relationships. We want you to become the person who makes conscious choices every day that contribute to your overall well-being.
Learn more about our services here.
To build a lifestyle, focus on the bigger picture
Every decision you make builds up to an ultimate goal. We are not focused on, “oh, no, I wasn’t perfect.” Instead, focus on what your choices are MOSTLY like over time:
- Are your eating patterns feeling like habits? Or do they feel FORCED and TEMPORARY?
- Are you creating a HABIT of exercising regularly?
- Do you routinely get enough sleep?
- How is your water intake?
A HABIT is something you’ve done so many times you don’t really think about it anymore. It’s just part of your life. BUT that doesn’t mean you DIDN’T think about it a lot in the beginning. Behind EVERY habit, there was a period of LEARNING.
As we shape new habits, we need to UNLEARN our previous notions and learn to reframe them. For example, look at these old notions you can challenge. How are they serving you? How can you replace them?
- I don’t cook
- I am a procrastinator
- I am lazy
- Being overweight runs in my family
- I prefer to sleep in every day. I’m not a morning person
- I don’t like to sweat
- I love food too much to lose weight
- I’m a sugar addict
- I am impatient…this is taking too long (what is? Science? Are you feeling ENTITLED?)
- I am hurting my kids by MAKING them eat healthy, because they don’t like it
- If I mess up, I have to START COMPLETELY OVER
If you notice, all of these statements begin with “I”. Because in the end, it all comes down to your identity and the narrative you tell about yourself. Are your beliefs about yourself TRUE? Why? Do you NOT believe that people CAN CHANGE?
If you believe that you are overweight because your entire family is, why would you ever work out? Why would you ever eat healthy? In your story, you are destined to be overweight, it doesn’t matter WHAT you do, so you might as well NOT do those things.
You have to change the STORY if you want your actions to stick in the long term because TRUE behavior change is ACTUALLY a change in your identity. People don’t talk enough about how you BECOME someone different. And that process doesn’t happen overnight.
Saying “THIS IS WHO I AM” or “THIS IS NOT WHO I AM” dictates what you do. Almost ALL of your actions will stem from what you think of yourself.
Where you are TODAY is a direct result of your habits in the past
Results don’t happen overnight — either “good” or “bad” ones. Whatever you have achieved up to this point is a culmination of everything you’ve done in the past. So a single meal won’t derail you, the same way a single meal won’t magically make your body fat disappear. It’s the SUM of what you do over time that makes a difference.
The habits that brought you to this point came from stories you may not have even thought of. They may come from WAY WAY back and you never even challenged them. You just accepted them as a universal truth because they came from someone that you love and respect. So CHALLENGING those old thoughts and beliefs frees up your mind to the possibility — the REALITY — that you are capable of change, of pursuing a goal that’s WORTH your focus and energy.
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says that every action you take is a vote for the person you want to become. With this in mind, where are the majority of your votes being cast? To win an election, you don’t need 100% of the votes, only the majority. The majority of your actions need to be in the right direction.
The rest of the time? Well, you’re human. You WILL make mistakes, you WILL step out of the plan. It’s HOW you handle those stepbacks that counts. We don’t believe in perfection, but we do believe in correcting courses. No blame, no victimizing – just plain old accountability and the determination to move forward.
Constantly ask yourself and remind yourself who you are. Not who you USED to be, but who are you moving forward.
Are you the type of person who throws in the towel when things don’t go perfectly? Or are you the type of person that PRIORITZES whole foods, meal prep, sleep, and exercise?
The journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step, but if you do not keep taking consistent steps forward, you will NOT get to mile 1,000. You will be so busy side-stepping and taking detours that you won’t realize your steps aren’t adding up toward anything FORWARD.
It takes TIME to build the body you want. A common problem now is that we see everyone else’s highlight reels. We see people who are succeeding where we want to and we are comparing our journey to theirs. We look at them and see their success, but we don’t see the journey behind it — the mistakes, missteps, big failures, or tears. Change takes a long time. It takes a LOT of resilience and a lot of self-discipline.
The big question today is, who do YOU want to be in 10 years? What do you want your life to look like?
Once you have these answers, reflect on whether you are willing to put in the work. If you continue to do what you are currently doing, will that lead you there? Are your current actions the same ones that that person in 10 years will have in place?
There is NO secret hack or shortcut. The shortcuts that you hear about and see, what’s the end game there? Will they still be doing that in 10 years? Will there be major health implications from using something like that for 10 years?
The real hack is WORK. The right kind of work. It’s 5-10 habits that you do over a long time. Those things over time, over years, add up. You aren’t going to be completely different TOMORROW or even 2 weeks from now, but when you KEEP doing these things day in and day out, you will look back in 6 months or a year and see what a HUGE difference there is.
Everything you learn on your MYLF journey builds upon your toolkit
We want everything you learn here to help shape your choices, decisions, and overall behavior ALWAYS, not just for 8 weeks. The goal is for you to fall in love with taking care of yourself because we want you to become that person who loves taking care of themself.
Head over here to learn more about what we do and HOW we do it.
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